Behind Closed Doors
by Anne Callendar
Summary: Everything is not as it seems. Fortune and fame do not bring happiness. Being able to give your children whatever they want doesn't mean that they love you - or that they love each other. Behind the firmly locked doors of the Gehabich mansion, unwholesome, wicked acts and deeds lay buried beneath a façade. (Rated T for suggestive themes and violence.) NB Joseph is Joe; Lucas is Ace
1. The Struggle

**Well, I've been inactive for a really long time. Gomen! I've been fiddling around with this idea for a few months though, and I have finally decided to post it. All the chapters except for the last are complete, so hopefully, I should be updating regularly - about every week or so (I'm a very busy person). No changes will be made to this story, and also, it isn't very long, so gomen to those who really love long stories. I like reading them but I can't write them. You will, however, have a say in how this thing ends out.**

 **WARNING: In this story, no mercy is given to my characters, therefore, some may want to avoid reading completely.**

 **Anyway, enough of my idle chatter. I give notice to the usual and obvious disclaimers, so on with the show. Enjoy!**

* * *

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

THE STRUGGLE

Alice lay curled up on her huge bed in a foetal position. She could hear his footsteps coming towards her door. Soft and measured. She placed a hand over one of her ears and she used the other to stifle the sobs that were welling up in her throat. She began to panic. She pulled her thin sheet over her head and prayed that her parents would come home soon. Very soon. His footsteps stopped abruptly.

Alice's breath hitched in her throat. Three sharp knocks came on the door. Alice squeezed her eyes shut. Tears were pouring down her cheeks now. He opened the door, hesitated for a bit, then stepped in and closed it behind him. Slowly, he walked over to the bed. Alice gasped when she felt the soft material sink underneath his weight. He lifted the covers and ever so gently placed Alice in a sitting position. Her face was flushed red and her tears mixed with the cold sweat that trickled down her face. He stroked her smooth porcelain skin and a small smirk rose to his lips when she flinched.

"Joseph. Pl-please stop. This is wrong." The young blonde didn't reply. He only began to slip the sleeves of her white gown down.

"Joseph, stop. Why do you like hurting me so much? You're supposed to be looking out for me, not abusing me." Alice felt all her strength to resist Joseph leave her.

"Shhhh." He whispered into her ears, inhaling the scent of her silky hair. "It's only for a while." Joseph pushed her against the headboard. "Now just relax and try to enjoy it." He cupped her cheek with one hand and supported his body with the other. Dipping his head slowly, he took her lips in his. Alice began to whimper when his hand slipped from her cheek to her breasts, then to her thighs. Joseph smiled when she tensed and intensified the kiss. After a few moments of caressing her legs, Joseph rested her on her back and slipped his hands between them. Alice gasped and began to cry harder. She tried to push him off, but he had a firm grip on her. Breaking the kiss, he nestled his head in her bosom and continued to violate her.

Fifteen minutes later, a vehicle pulled into the driveway. Joseph's eyes widened when he heard this. He quickly leapt off the bed, telling Alice to go bathe and get some clean clothing on. He bounded off to his bedroom to clean his own self up and make it seem as if he was doing homework. Poor Alice was left lying on her bed. Her underwear thrown carelessly aside on the bed just proved how violated she had been. Ever so slowly, she crawled off the bed. Taking her underwear with her, she _**waddled**_ into her bathroom. Eyes downcast, she climbed into the shower. It felt good to wash herself – to cleanse herself of all traces of him. Even though it hurt between the legs, she felt relieved that she could be out of his presence for a few minutes…

* * *

"Joe, Ally?" Mrs Gehabich said as soon as she stepped into the hallway. Joseph came down the stairs about three minutes after his name was called. "Hi mom. Hey dad," he said. He went up to his mother and hugged her. She ruffled his dirty- blonde hair and Mr. Gehabich gave him a nod and a smile. "Where's your sister?" Mrs. Gehabich asked. "Taking a shower," Joseph replied smoothly, mounting the staircase. "If you need me, I'll be in my room working on some Physics." Joseph then turned around and began his climb. He lingered outside his room for a bit until Alice passed by. He looked her over, up and down, raised an eyebrow in interest once, then went inside.

Before stepping out of her room, Alice had prepared herself for Joseph to do something like that, so, when she passed him at his room door, she didn't start falling apart on the inside. _I can't understand. What have I done to deserve this? Why can't anyone realize he's lying?_ Alice wondered as she approached her parents. When they made eye contact with her, she almost automatically slapped on a false smile.

"Alice, sweetheart, how was your day?" Mrs. Gehabich squeezed her daughter in her arms.

"The usual, mother," she replied, returning the hug. "Father, how is the research going?"

Mr. Gehabich scratched his golden brown hair. "Well, today we were successful with the tests on the reaction that hydrogen has on lunar soil and rock sediments. Ally, we're one step closer to artificially creating water!"

"Wow! Father, can I help, please. Can I at least watch? Like tomorrow after school." Alice's eyes widened in genuine interest.

"Sorry dear. No kids allowed on site." Mr Gehabich watched as Alice's shoulders drooped.

"Then tonight, may I help you to document what went on today? I can be your typist." Alice looked up hopefully.

Mr. Gehabich shook his head. Sorry Alice. I did that already. To make up for it, go to Joe's room and learn some more about Physics from him. Mother and I will make you a special dinner."

Alice nearly burst into tears when she heard what her father said. It wasn't like she could just ignore him, because then he would get suspicious, and besides, his word was final. To fool them a little more, she put on a brave face, folded her arms, pouted, and looked away from him. "I'll be waiting." With that, she pretended to be angry and stomped up the stairs.

As soon as she was safely out of sight, Alice took her mask off. _He always does this. Disappoints me, then tries to please me with treats and lessons from Joseph. Joseph…I should tell on him. No. Even if I did, they wouldn't believe me, and they'd probably ship me off to a boarding school. Besides, he still is my brother. But he keeps on hurting me. It's not fair to me. I should tell someone…No. I can't. I think he has a problem. An illness. A mental one. I should just keep giving him what he wants. No! He's a sick selfish bastard. I'm not sure if I should tell on him, but at least, I can put up a fight for now. Yes. That'll build my confidence, then I can talk to someone. Not those two downstairs, though. Someone I can really depend on._

She took in a few deep breaths to regain her composure.

* * *

Alice pushed the door open. It was fairly dark inside, save the bedside lamp that was switched on. Joseph sat around his computer desk, his back turned to her. "Shorter than I expected," he muttered to himself. He switched on the soundproof setting and locked the door from where he was. Slowly, he rose from his chair. Turning to face her with a smirk, he asked, "May we resume from where we left off?"

Alice stood rooted to the spot. She glared at Joe and fisted her hands at her side. In a few moments, her back was against the wall. She tried her best to push him off. When that didn't work, she bit down on his arm. Hard. Joseph instantly released his grip on her. For a moment, he became red in the face, and she could practically feel the anger seeping out of him. He raised his hand and hit her on her head.

Alice reeled back when the blow made impact. Refusing to give up, she grasped his arm as quickly as she could and bit him again. This time, she could taste blood. Outraged, Joseph gripped her wrist. He reached onto his bed for a belt, and began to slap her. The first few slaps were painful, but not enough to make Alice cry. She bit down on her lower lip and resisted the urge to cry out. This made Joseph even more enraged. He switched the ends of the belt, then began to beat her bruised skin with the buckle. Finally, Alice sank to the ground. She screamed in pain and the drops of her tears mixed with those of blood on the floor.

Joseph's face relaxed. He stopped beating her. Amusement filled his eyes at the sight of his little sister, lying helpless on the floor. He chuckled a bit and licked his lips. Waving the belt in his hand, he tried to decide if he was satisfied or not. He wasn't. Smiling widely, he whacked Alice on her tender spots with the belt's buckle, eliciting a few soft sobs. Satisfied at the state she was in, Joseph laughed out loud. He kneeled down before her, not caring that his pants were being soiled with blood. He lifted Alice's chin up, revealing her features. Her eyes were red and puffy and tears continued to stream down her face. Her lower lip was bleeding from where she was biting it before.

Joseph leaned in and licked away a trail of tears that was running down her cheek. He moaned in pleasure when she flinched. Still, Alice tried to push him away and crawl back to the door. Joseph easily caught her arm, though, and he pulled her close to him. "Why do you try so hard?" he mumbled into her ear.

"Why me? There are so many other girls out there. Why your own sister?" Alice managed to squeeze out. She didn't try to wipe the tears away.

"Why you, you ask. There are several reasons. I've tried other girls, but they're all the same. Easy to read. Easy to get. Why do you think I come to you so often? Because of your body? Not really, even though your body is simply perfect. The secondary reason I see you is because I like to experiment. I love exploration. It runs in the family after all. But, my sweet sister, the primary reason is because you're so expressive. I've elicited emotions from you that I would never have imagined. These ones are first class – I haven't gotten them from any other girl. They've all pleaded with me to stop, and when I refused, they decided to enjoy the moment instead. When they enjoy things, I get sick. Literally."

"You're sadistic," Alice mumbled weakly.

"Yes. I thought you and the dimwits downstairs would have realized by now. You know, it's funny. People say that a masochist and a sadist make the perfect pair." Joseph frowned. "That's a lie. The masochist would continue to be in eternal bliss because she **enjoys feeling** pain. The sadist would only be in half of that bliss because he **enjoys inflicting** pain and inflicting pain not only means hurting the person physically, but you want to hear them and feel them suffering consciously. That feeling is the best feeling there is."

Alice's face became downcast. She had honestly thought that her brother could have been saved. But now, she was starting to think that he was too far gone. She seen small traces of sadism before, but now, there was no mistaking it. She never expected him to go that far.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I didn't damage your face. I'll have to carry you down to dinner and say 'Mom, Dad, we had a fight. Can I stay from school from a few days to tend to Alice? After all, I'm really sorry that I let this get out of hand.' They'll say yes, and when we're alone for a few days, I'll finally get to perform a marvellous experiment. Can you guess what it is?"

Alice brought her hands up to her ears, trying to block him out.

Delighted with her resistance, Joseph picked her up and placed her on the bed. He began removing her clothes. "Prepare, sister. This is our last night of being virgins." Unable to contain herself, Alice began to cry harder. Soon, all her tears dried up, and she was like an empty shell. All that remained was a look of utter defeat on her face. Joseph looked at her and laughed once more. She didn't stop him when he threw her back against the headboard. She didn't stop him when he pushed his hands up between her legs. And she didn't stop crying or cringing in pain when he made her sore; when he placed his lips on her breasts; when he accurately described her emotions and state of mind.

After she was painfully showered and dressed for dinner, Joseph scooped her up into his arms. Alice clutched his shirt and surprised herself when she relaxed in Joseph's arms. She was crying inside. She wanted her loving bigger brother back – the one who'd never dream of hurting her.

"Joe, were you always like this?"

"No. When I was younger and ignorant, I had no idea of what really made me happy. Now I know."

"I miss the younger you so much."

Joseph narrowed his eyes. "Good riddance. I won't tell you to accept me for who I am, because if you do that, you'll rob me of my joy. Deep down, something is always telling me to say something to make you feel better, but battling that is another feeling that makes me want to torture you even more, and there's a tiny fraction of my mind that's just begging to be tortured by you – emotionally that is. That little part gets satisfied when you cry."

Alice fell silent. _A psychology book said that sadists often carry masochistic traits and vice-versa. I suppose it's true. If I'm satisfying him every day, then he really must be happy._

* * *

 **N.B. There is nothing wrong with me. I just like being a little evil to my characters is all. Also, sorry if there are any grammatical or spelling typos. I tend to miss them sometimes.**

 **I hope it wasn't too intense, but putting all doubts and apologies aside, I crave your support and reviews.**

 **Thought for the week: _'A loving heart is the truest wisdom' -_ Charles Dickens**

 **Sayonara**


	2. Retribution

**Yeah... So I was really inspired by my first reviewer and got all pumped up and decided to upload early. I said to myself, "Even though my end of year exams start on June 04, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy myself during my short holiday (Labour Day in Jamaica was on Saturday, so most schools were out from Friday - Wednesday). Besides, I didn't feel to inclined to stress myself today.**

 **Here is the fruit of my labour. Enjoy!**

* * *

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

RETRIBUTION

Soft moonlight shone through the windows of Joseph's room. Everything had gone perfectly – Mr. and Mrs Gehabich had allowed Joseph to take care of Alice for as long as necessary. The only punishment they gave to him was a temporary ban from the Science Club at his school.

Joseph lay down on his side, holding his little sister close to him. She clutched his smooth cotton shirt and silently shed tears. He slid his hand up from her back to rest on one of her arms.

"Alice, did I hurt you badly?"

Alice's breath hitched in her throat. They had been lying silent for over half an hour and she didn't dare to break that silence. _Is this a trick question? He'd probably get angry if I lied to him, so it's best if I'm truthful._ "Yes Joseph. I was hurt really badly."

Joseph squeezed his eyes shut as if he were trying to rid himself of the horrid memory. He removed his hand from her shoulder and clutched his head. "I-I didn't mean to."

Alice slowly opened her eyes. She was shocked to see her supposedly sadistic sibling clutching his head in anguish. He bit down on his lower lip and trembled sporadically.

 _He's acting like this because he hurt me? But, I don't understand. Isn't he supposed to be happy? In any case, I hate seeing him like this. He's still my brother, and I still love him. Maybe I can make him feel better._ Remembering what he told her before, Alice slipped out of her nightgown and sat up. The moonlight illuminated her features and her bruised, swollen, and somewhat scarred skin. She took one of his hands in hers and rubbed it over her injuries.

"Joseph. Open your eyes," she commanded in a silky smooth voice. "This is what you did to me."

The young man obeyed, and immediately froze. His eyes frantically took in the gravity of the damage and his brain linked whatever mixed up emotions it could to them. He took in a sharp breath in a desperate attempt not to break down, but failed miserably.

Broken, he buried his face into the sheets as Alice continued to force his hands over every scrape, every swell, every cut and every scab, but still contained some measure of control over his feelings of grief.

"You're sick, brother. I'm your only sister. Do you want to lose me, like how we lost Anya?" Alice narrowed her eyes at him, hoping that her strategy worked.

Joseph's sobbing stopped abruptly. He coughed, and began to wheeze.

"Do you remember, Joe, how she pleaded with Grandfather to keep us alive? That's how I've been pleading with you for the past month. I've trusted you to the very end, just like she did, but you're just another disgusting bastard."

Ever so slowly, Joseph's breath evened out. As Alice continued cursing him, and pushing past failures into his face, his lips twisted with a small smile. He rolled over onto his back and closed his eyes, listening to his sister, pleased with every hurtful word that escaped her lips. When she began crying again, he felt terrible. Humiliation, sadness, guilt and shame swirled around inside him, but a shroud of happiness covered it all.

He pulled Alice back to his chest once more. "Thank you."

She remained silent.

"I won't be going easy on you tomorrow, though."

* * *

Around seven the next morning, Joseph rose from his bed. He stretched, stifled a yawn with his hand, and went for his cell phone on the computer desk. After dialling a number, he sat down in the computer chair and swivelled it around for a bit.

"Morning Lulu. It's Joe."

"…"

"We won't be in today, so I was wondering if you could email Alice's and my notes later."

"…"

"Nothing really. We just had a little fight. I kinda went overboard and hit her hard on the head, so Mom and Dad are forcing me to stay home and watch her."

"…"

"I know, right. And that reminds me, could you send what's going on in the Science club today. I got banned from it for a week."

"…"

"Yeah. The struggle. Thanks, much."

Joseph put down the phone and drummed his fingers on the table for a while, satisfied that he could manipulate one more person successfully. After a while, he went over to his dresser and pulled out a box of condoms from one of the drawers. After placing them carefully in a basket, he went over to his closet and opened a large wooden chest. He stared contemplatively at the things he had inside – knives, rope, chains, an ice pick, needles, a hammer and other stuff, all neatly arranged inside. He grinned sickly as he removed the chain and hammer and put them in the basket with the condoms.

After cleaning himself up, he went downstairs to check on his parents. They were just about to step out the door.

"You would leave without saying goodbye?" He pouted.

Mr. Gehabich scratched his head and cracked a smile. "We left a note."

Joseph shook his head and hugged his mother gently. She looked up at him and pinched his cheek. "Be good, okay."

Rolling his slate eyes, he walked over to his father who ruffled his hair. "Later," he said, waving goodbye to his son and pulling his wife out the door. "Come on Carrie. If we don't hurry, we'll be late."

When the door closed, Joseph smirked to himself and made his way into the kitchen slowly, wondering how Alice would feel once she realized that it was only a matter of time until she would be in more pain.

* * *

Alice shifted uncomfortably in the bed. _So this is the excuse he's using._ Slowly, she got up and made her side of the bed. When she stood up, her whole body ached. She walked up to the dresser and viewed her injuries. While she was looking over herself, something shiny caught her eye. The glint had come from a basket that was rested neatly on the dresser's surface. She made her way over it, but hesitated to look inside. _A chain, a hammer and-and a pack of condoms._ Alice's eyes widened in fear. She crumpled to the ground when she realized those would be used on her. _No. Please, no. I've only just begun to recover from yesterday._

Desperately, Alice searched for a telephone to call for help. She had slipped hers into her bra the night before. _Shoot, he must have taken it while I was asleep._ She searched for his, but he had brought it downstairs with him. Her hands trembling, Alice tried to pry the window open, but it was firmly locked, and Joseph ensured that he had a key made and he kept it with him at all times.

Alice clutched her shoulders and sank to the floor. She trembled violently as she allowed the tears to flow, and her uneven breathing filled the room. "I-I can't take this anymore. He won't hurt me again, right? I-I need someone's help. Lucas', Runo's, Julie's, even Mother's or Father's.-"

She was cut off by the opening of the door. Joseph's slim figure blocked the doorway. A sick smirk on his lips and a plate in his hands, he slowly moved towards her, taking in her condition. _Mn. As expected. She looked into the basket and is freaking out._

Alice looked up at him and staggered to her feet. She put her hands in front of her and moved backwards. "Stay away. D-don't come near me!"

Ignoring her weak command, he kept advancing forward until she stumbled onto the bed. He nonchalantly sat beside her and shoved the plate of food into her hands. She looked at it and turned her head away. "I don't have an appetite," she muttered hesitantly. Joseph simply shrugged his shoulders and exited the room.

* * *

For the rest of the morning, Alice tried her best to clear her mind. She went out into the backyard garden to tend to her mother's flowers even though the gardener had come the day before. Joseph sat on the balcony upstairs, watching her every move. She was completely unaware that he was there. He entertained himself by putting himself in her position and trying to imagine what was running through her head, and what emotions and expressions she would show later on. Eventually, he got tired of waiting and made his way down to her.

Joseph suddenly held on to Alice's arm tightly. He smiled at her as he gently pulled her away from the flowers she was admiring. He tugged her through the door, through the main hall, up the stairs, and finally into his room. As he made his way to the basket on the dresser, Alice's eyes widened in disbelief. _Is he really going to do this? I-I'm not ready for this! It's disgusting..._

Anticipating her behaviour, Joseph tightened his grip on her arm. She began to whimper, and she tugged on her hair, desperately trying to figure a way out of that situation. Meanwhile she was scanning all the possibilities, Joseph had collected the basket and entered her room.

Alice began to cry. She was helpless. Joseph had thrown her down roughly on the bed and used the chains to bind her arms to the bed head. She lowered her head in an attempt to hide her tears. Hammer in hand, Joseph sat beside her. He leaned in and whispered close to her cheeks, "Don't worry. It'll all be over soon." He then tenderly kissed away a few of her tears. Alice's strangled whimper encouraged him to move on.

Brandishing the hammer, he stared intently at Alice's marred skin. Voice trembling with fear, Alice begged, "Please, brother, don't do this to me." Her hair was damp with sweat, so it stuck to her face and neck and she felt dirty all over.

Smirking, Joseph raised the hammer, aimed for a red spot on her thigh, then struck it with great force. Alice instinctively pulled her thigh back to her and screamed out in pain. The tears increased, and Joseph's delight increased too. So did the frequency of the hits. He beat her until he was stimulated, and her voice was hoarse. Only then did he open the box of condoms and put one on.

After stripping his sister, he put his knees on either side of her and firmly grasped her shoulders. Alice shut her eyes in expectation. All her tears had dried up and she was too sore to do anything. Joseph began. Alice gasped sharply. She bit down on her lower lip, trying to suppress a scream. Eventually, she let it out though.

After the initial shock, everything that Alice experienced seemed like a dream. All she could do was take in short raspy breaths and listen to her brother's sighs of satisfaction when he looked at her face. Finally he stopped. There was blood all over the sheet and there was also blood at the corner of Alice's lips. She stared blankly at Joseph as he lay down beside her and struggled to catch his breath. He had undone the chains when she began to lose all hope and accept the fact that he really was a monster.

When he was calm again, Joseph pulled her body close to his. She didn't try to stop him. He looked down at her blank emotionless face. Instantly, he began to feel strange. He was feeling something he hadn't felt in years. Regret. His long dormant conscience woke up and now it was speaking to him.

 _Darn. Was that really the right thing to do? I promised to protect her and love her. I've been showing her how much I love her for one month now, haven't I? At least, that's the only way I know. I must have been hurting her._

Joseph exhaled deeply. A feeling of melancholy washed over him. He rose from the bed, removed his condom and drew his pants back on. Gingerly, he lifted his frail little sister and carried her into her bathroom. In a few minutes, he had her in a bath full of lukewarm water and was gently scrubbing every trace of his abuse from her body. He wrapped her up in a towel, dried her carefully, dressed her, and placed her on his bed inside his room.

When he returned into her room, he fully realized how much damage he'd done. The sheets were bloodstained and there were drops of blood on the bed head and the tiling. His hair was tinged with Alice's blood too. Used condoms were strewn over the floor, and Alice's clothing had been carelessly thrown aside. The chains lay on the bed in a messy pile and the hammer was back in the basket. Joseph shut his eyes and took in a few deep breaths. _Never. Never again. I've ruined her life. I don't even love her in a romantic way. I-I can't hurt her anymore. I can't risk letting my sadistic impulses rule again – even if that means living in torment and depression for the rest of my life._

* * *

"Joe? Ally?" Mrs Gehabich closed her umbrella. Setting it aside, she ran a damp hand through her auburn hair. "Kristoff, hurry up and get inside."

Joseph descended the stairs slowly. His skin was terribly pale and his eyes red and puffy.

"Joseph?! What happened?" The woman rushed up to her son. She pulled him into her arms and began to stroke his head. "Talk to me sweetheart."

He just stood there, staring blankly into her face. Mrs. Gehabich's breath hitched in her throat. Never before had she seen her son so distraught and distant.

"Where is Alice?" Mr. Gehabich asked sternly, eyeing his son with some amount of distrust, but mostly with concern. Joseph looked up at him, but then he averted his gaze to the floor. His mother stiffened when he gave no reply.

Mr. Gehabich repeated his question, anxiously now. Joseph still didn't answer. For a few minutes, the only sound in the whole house was the heavy pounding of the rain on the roof and concrete driveway outside.

Mrs. Gehabich suddenly pushed him away. Face flushed with anger and distress, she slapped him on his cheek, grabbed her husband's hand and began taking the stairs two at a time. Joseph turned and stared at them.

In a sickening monotone voice, he began, "We fought again today. I ended up pushing her down the stairs after she did this to me." Joseph pushed up the long sleeves of his shirt to reveal long gashes over his veins. The skin was red raw and irritated. Closing his slate eyes, Joseph desperately tried to remind himself that he shouldn't be feeling joy by toying with his parents' emotions.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let it get out of hand again, but don't worry. Her neck isn't broken."

Mr. Gehabich stormed down to his son. He was fuming with anger and trying desperately to contain himself. He stretched his large hand forward and tightly gripped Joseph's silky hair. He pulled his head back so he could stare into his son's blank eyes. He took in a few deep breaths and ground his teeth together.

"Do you have any idea of what you've done? You could have killed her! Are you bloody mad?!"

Mrs. Gehabich slumped onto the stair handrails. She put a hand to her face and quietly sobbed into them. "I-I don't know what to do anymore. Kristoff, what's wrong with them? Why do they keep fighting so much? Joseph, up until a month ago, you and your sister used to be so close." She clung to the hope that the two were just going through a phase. She had been praying that that was true for the past few weeks. She still tried to think that that was the case then, but when she looked at her son, standing pale and limp in his father's grip, seemingly indifferent to the whole thing, she broke apart.

Something inside her screamed at her to run. Shivers ran up and down her spine, and her fingers grew cold. A little voice in the back of her head prompted her to get her daughter out of the room, grab her husband and drive as far away from Joseph as she could. That same little voice urged her to see that his behaviour was unnatural. She was scared. Scared of her own child.

"Do you hate me now?" Joseph's voice brought about a sickening silence in the room.

Mr. Gehabich suddenly loosened his grip on his son. His eyes filled with sadness and something else – raw, untamed fear. He looked at the bruises on Joseph's neck as well as the cuts on his arms. He too felt at unease around him.

"K-Kristoff, I think we should get Alice."

He nodded and released Joseph's hair. He rushed up the stairs behind his wife, and in a few moments, they found Alice, curled up under the sheets of Joseph's bed. He lifted her from underneath the covers and cradled her in his arms. "Alice, are you feeling okay?"

The girl simply looked up and weakly curled her fists into her father's shirt. "Mrs. Gehabich put a hand to her mouth to suppress her cries. Only a few of Alice's bruises were black and blue. The rest of her skin was a bit red and blotchy, but it had been healing magnificently because earlier on, after he had finished cleaning her room, Joseph had applied a special ointment to every single cut and bruise he had given to her.

"Everything is going to be okay, sweetheart." Mr. Gehabich motioned to his wife to lead the way downstairs to the car. "We're going to spend the night elsewhere."

Alice eyes widened. "What…What about brother?" she forced out weakly.

Mr. Gehabich narrowed his chocolate-brown eyes. "You shouldn't speak, darling. It won't make you feel any better."

"Brother…"Alice persisted.

"We have to get you away from that monster, Alice. He's-he's not normal."

Alice's grip on her father's shirt tightened. They were in the main hallway now, and were making their way outside. She managed to get a glimpse of Joseph sitting on the very last step, eyes closed and head leaned against the banister. He looked strangely peaceful and at ease.

 _He just called brother a monster. He said he was unnatural. I-I knew that there was something wrong with him before, but I didn't try to help him. I just watched him get worse. Now mother and father are afraid of him. I want to help him now, but I want to leave him here to suffer too._

Mr. Gehabich exited the house completely ignoring the heavy downpour of rain, locked the door and got into the vehicle. Mrs. Gehabich sped off as soon as they were inside.

* * *

Joseph opened his eyes and looked out of the large window that gave a view of the driveway. The rain was pouring outside and everything looked white and hazy. His mother's car was receding in the distance. Absent minded Joseph unlocked the door from the inside and stepped onto the portico. The tiled ground was extremely slippery because of the rain blowing in. Joseph cautiously made his way further out into the spray of rain.

He slipped and fell onto the cold hard floor. His head pounded, and the cuts on his arms opened and began to bleed again. Joseph's breath became raspy and his body drained itself of all energy. He couldn't get up. He didn't want to get up. His parents had abandoned him. Wasn't this what he had really wanted all along? Peace. Tranquillity. He didn't have anyone near him to hurt, or to be hurt by.

He wanted to die. He knew that eventually, his actions would be called into question. He was too much of a coward to face the consequences. Too scared to rub salt into his emotional wounds. Joseph dragged his arm up to his face. It was bleeding profusely. Right in the veins. _Good. If this continues, I won't be able to hurt Sister anymore. Just a little further._

Joseph smiled in satisfaction as his vision blurred and his body went numb.

* * *

 **That's all folks.**

 **Thought: "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." - Oscar Wilde**

 **~Anne Callendar**


	3. Revelation

**Konnichiwa mina! I truly apologize for my absence last week, but I got ill over the weekend...**

 **My Friday evenings are all that I have now - exams and labs have stolen my occasional weekend joy. On the bright side though, 24 more days till summer vacation! Woooo (even though I have community service and SBAs) !**

 **Enough of me, though. On to the story!**

 _ **Lucas is equivalent to Ace.**_

* * *

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

REVELATION

Alice's eyes fluttered open. She moaned as she struggled to sit up. Ignoring the shooting pain that coursed through her body, she propped herself up against a pillow and looked around her. She was lying down on a narrow bed with a comfortable mattress covered in white sheets. The walls and tiles were white too. There were tables on either side of the bed, one had a tray chock full of medicinal equipment and the other was sparsely decorated with a glass vase of flowers. Apart from that and a crème sofa, the place was painfully bare. The only sound was that of the heart rate monitor, and the whole place reeked of hospital.

 _Hospital. So this is where they put me._ Alice scrunched up her nose and leaned back on the pillow.

When she looked down, she was reminded of all the events of the day before. All of her wounds were dressed and bandaged, and she kind of looked like a mummy. She didn't realize until now how bad her injuries were.

Just then her face began to colour. _I wonder if the doctors found out that I'm not a virgin. Aargh – more than likely, mother and father already know._

Alice knew that her parents would be extremely displeased. If her father found out that it was Joseph's doing, he might hunt him down and kill him himself. Alice could remember the harsh tone he had spoken in and the hard look in his eyes. She remembered how her mother's voice trembled in sadness and in fear. She remembered the absent look in her brother's eyes. It was just like when they had cut him off for a week when he did something disturbing to the neighbour's dog a few years ago.

Fear suddenly washed over Alice. Fear and hatred and seething anger. Her blood boiled within her veins. She wanted to pity him. She honestly did, but he had gone way too far. Alice gritted her teeth and gathered the sheet into her fists. She remembered how he'd made her cry, how much pain he'd forced her to endure, how much humiliation she had to suffer. She wished that he was dead; that someone killed him while they were away. She wished him a brutal end – one that would make him feel the pain she was bearing for the past month.

Before, she had clung to the hope that he could be saved, but he'd used that foolish weakness of hers to manipulate her and twist her around his defiled fingers. She realized now that she was merely another object to him, just like their parents, friends, teachers and everyone else. He…

A knock on the door shook Alice from her thoughts.

"Come in," she said, after releasing her dead-lock on the sheets and giving her teeth a break. The door opened a crack exposing a shock of teal hair. The person suddenly lurched forward and almost dropped the parcel he was carrying. He shot a death glare at the culprit before running up to Alice and placing the parcel down. Her eyes widened in joy.

"Lucas!"

Behind the young lad came in three other teenagers who seemed overjoyed to see the girl awake. Lucas hugged Alice and cradled her head in his arms. Julie and Runo sat at the bed's edge while Daniel desperately tried to separate the two so he could get his hug. After Lucas finally decided to stop hogging Alice, the others received their hugs.

"How did you know I was here?" Alice looked at her friends puzzled. Daniel averted his gaze. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room for a while.

"I-I figured that something had to be wrong with you because I found your brother at your home. He'd lost a lot of blood and the rain really did a number on him."

Alice's eyes widened a bit. _What? He found Joseph? Injured?_ She almost didn't want to ask the other question because she was almost sure what the answer would be.

"Wh-where is he?"

"Admitted in this hospital. He's a few rooms away from you." Lucas carefully studied her change in expression.

Her eyes widened in fear now. "What?" she whispered to herself. _He's here? In the same hospital…Just-just a few rooms down._

"It looks like you guys did more than just fight." Julie looked at Alice with worry. The young redhead painfully brought her knees up to her chest. She cradled her head in her hands and shut her eyes in disbelief. She wanted to shut everything – everyone out.

"Whoa there." Lucas sat beside her and placed his hand on her back, trying to comfort her. Runo and Julie pulled the sheets further up on her body and Daniel gently pried one of her hands away and placed it in his.

"Everything's going to be okay Ally. We don't know what really happened between you two, but I promise, we won't let anyone hurt you," Runo soothingly cooed.

 _I want to believe you, Runo. I really do, but there really is nothing you can do about this. I want to tell you all what happened between us, but, I just can't. Not because I care about_ _ **his**_ _reputation, but I don't want Mom and Dad to suffer humiliation and possibly get dismissed from their jobs because of us. Come on, Alice. You can't just keep breaking down like this. Regain your composure. At least act strong._

She took in a few deep breaths, and removed her free hand from her head. Opening her eyes and allowing herself to be cradled in Lucas' arms once more, Alice forced a smile at Runo and said, "Thank you, everyone."

At hearing this, one of Daniel's eyes twitched. "You know, talking about our problems really does make us feel better. Come on, we won't judge. Bottling things up never helps. I can't promise that I won't push or pry, but, at least be honest with us. We'll stick by you no matter what."

Alice averted her gaze to the white sheets on her. She bit down on her lower lip, trying to keep her emotions in check. The whiteness of the sheets reminded her of how pure she was a few days ago. All of her other friends were innocent, untouched, unmarred, yet she had to be the odd one out. She'd never be able to go back to how she was. She'd never be able to not feel guilty whenever their guidance counsellor lectured the class on fornication and abuse. The innocence and stability that she had struggled so much to maintain when life threw so much at her, had finally been stolen in only a month.

Her eyes watered up and she began to tremble. In a few moments, tears were streaming down Alice's face. Daniel sat beside her and began to trace little shapes on the back of her hand in an attempt to soothe her. Julie got a box of Kleenex tissues from a side table and Runo just looked at her friend sadly. Lucas brow knotted in confusion as he tried to wrap his mind around the situation.

After a good fifteen minutes of crying, Alice accepted the box of tissues from Julie. She dried her puffy eyes, blew her nose and pulled the sheets further up on her body. "Something…something's wrong with Joseph. He's not himself," she began feebly. Lucas' face grew solemn. She placed her hands on her lap. "Ever since this month started, he's been…"

"He's been what?" Runo pressed.

Alice shook her head and continued. "He's been doing things to me." She squeezed her eyes shut. "He even raped me the last time we were at home."

"He did what?!" All four teens shouted.

Lucas released his hold on Alice and rose from the bed. His fists were clenched and he held his head down. "So he's the reason you're here, covered in bandages?"

Alice hesitated at first, but nodded.

"When? When did he rape you?"

"On the same day that he told you we weren't weren't going to be at school."

"I'm such an ass!" he sighed in exasperation. He stalked out of the room, with Daniel following close behind, smoke puffing out of their ears.

"Neh. This has been going on for so long, Alice! Why didn't you say anything to anyone?" Julie looked at her in frustration.

"I had foolish hope. I still believed that he could change and that he would change. I didn't expect him to go so far."

Runo walked up to Alice and began stroking her hair. Julie decided to change the subject and speak about something that might get all three of them into cheerier spirits.

* * *

Joseph had his eyes narrowed. He glared at the bandages that covered his wounds. He tightened his jaw every time he heard the heart rate monitor beep. He clenched his fists.

 _Why am I here? Who did this to me? I was sure that I had everything calculated perfectly. I should be dead, not lying down in this bloody place. Someone should be finding my cold dead body on the portico by now. Sister, mother and father should be getting the wonderful news that the Tormentor is finally gone. I don't want to have to go through all the trouble of mentally preparing myself to inflict pain on_ _ **my**_ _body. That's just not me._

He sighed in annoyance and ran a hand through his silky blonde hair. Just then, his door opened. His eyebrows arched in expectance. Lucas and Daniel made their way inside. "Aren't we the nosy ones," he snorted in irritation.

"Neh, that's how you repay me for saving your life?" Lucas walked up to the side of the bed and took a seat, staring into Joseph's slate eyes.

"How're you feeling?" Daniel queried, a look of false concern shrouding his face.

Joseph looked down at his lap and withheld a reply. Lucas brought a hand up to Joseph's cheek and started stroking it gently. After a few minutes, he slapped him across it, gathered a fistful of his hair in his hand and threw his head back.

Wincing in pain from the sudden attack, Joseph made the mistake of looking up at Lucas. Instantly, pangs of guilt washed over him. _They know._

"What did you do to her?" Daniel asked, his features, now consumed with anger.

"What's the sense of telling you? You already know." Joseph made a weak attempt to put up resistance.

"We just wanted a second opinion."

Lucas' grip tightened. "Why would you hurt your own sister like that? Aren't you supposed to be the one protecting her? All along we thought that you cared about her, but you were just pretending, weren't you. In the end, you're just another sick bastard."

Joseph desperately tried to cover up his agony with sick joy. He tried to indulge in pleasure that such words would normally elicit from him, put the pain and guilt were just too much. This had practically never happened to him before. Every word that escaped Lucas' lips felt like a dagger was being driven through him. His heart rate increased rapidly and his breaths became short and raspy. He brought his hands up to his ears and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Shut up! Just stop talking! None of you can understand! None of you will ever understand my reasoning. Just-just leave me alone." He began to tremble, and tears escaped his eyes (a very rare thing to happen to him).

Confused by his words, Lucas loosened his grip on his 'friend'. Daniel walked out of the room, shaking his head in disgust. Lucas stood up, grey eyes carefully regarding the weakling that lay before him. "You're right. We'll never understand you."

* * *

A few weeks passed. Both siblings were released from the hospital. Alice lived with her parents in an apartment close to her aunt's house while Joseph stayed at home alone. Their parents sent someone every week to check on him and to restock the house with whatever was needed.

At school, Joseph had completely separated himself from everyone. He had cut off all ties with his four friends, and totally avoided coming in contact with his sister. He refrained from participating in any extracurricular activities and revoked his membership from the Science Club. As soon as school was over, if he didn't have to meet with a teacher, he was often one of the first persons to leave the campus.

One particular day, he and his sister were called from class to Ms. Finsen's (the Counsellor's) office. The two waited in uncomfortable silence outside her door. Alice nervously glanced over at him, while his right eye twitched. After a few minutes, the door swung open, revealing a petite lady with shoulder length brown hair, coffee eyes and unblemished skin. She wore a nametag on her grey suit which read ' _Dr. Laura Finsen, Psychologist'._

"Hello you two. Sorry I couldn't get to you sooner. Please, step inside."

Alice and Joseph entered the small office and took their seats as far away from each other as possible. The room had crème coloured walls with paintings of nature hung up on it. On one wall hung Dr. Finsen's qualifications. Behind her desk was a leather swivel-chair with a bookcase to the right of it. In front of it were four comfortable brown single seat couches. The lady took out a notepad and adjusted her thin framed glasses.

"I understand that there has been a bit of conflict going on between you two. I only want to help you, so try not to be embarrassed or offended if I ask some personal questions, and please, please tell me the truth. When you lie, you waste valuable energy and time."

Alice tried to get comfortable, and nodded at Ms Finsen's plea. Joseph just stared blankly at her.

"Okay, first and foremost, do you to live together."

"Yes, we do," Joseph replied without batting an eye.

Alice sighed and looked at the lady. "No, Ms Finsen, we don't. He lives alone, while I live with my parents."

"Alright, Joseph, darling, I recognize that I might have a problem with you. You need to be more willing to open up and express your emotions to other people. I promise, I won't hurt you, or judge you."

He exhaled sharply and quickly averted his gaze.

"Ah, I hear that during the past month, you've been getting into frequent fights with each other, and often times, Alice would be the one who's wounded the most. Is that true?"

Alice nodded her head.

"Alice, would you care to share what he's been doing to you?"

"Well, he's beaten me, molested me, verbally abused me and just before I was admitted into hospital, he raped me." Alice kept surprisingly strong throughout the statement.

"Is this true, Joseph?"

"Yes, it is." Joseph stared at the floor, deciding not to put up any resistance.

"I also hear that you have been injured as well. Has Alice been the one doing that to you in self defence?"

"No. My wounds were all self inflicted." Alice looked over at him in disbelief, not expecting him to tell the truth.

"Now, Joseph, why would you hurt yourself?"

"To make my lies seem more believable."

Ms. Finsen scribbled on her notepad and adjusted her glasses once more. "What kind of lies would you tell?"

"I'd say we were fighting again, and I'd lost control."

"So, your fighting is all a lie? You deliberately abused your sister who could barely defend herself. Did you pre-think what you would do to her?"

"Yes."

"Alice, please give me an idea of what he would do to you and what was running through your mind."

Alice shrank back into her seat. She tugged on a few strands of her hair, and glanced at her brother who was avoiding all eye contact.

"Every afternoon when we came home from school, he'd molest me until it was time for Mom and Dad to come home. After, he'd leave me so I could clean up, and after dinner, he'd probably molest me once more, or insult me or put me through whatever physical punishment he felt like. He was sick. He is sick. I'd always thought that I could save him, but he was too far gone. I had always suspected that something was wrong with him. He confirmed that when he began to hit me with a belt the night before the rape. He-he even used the buckle, and he didn't stop until we were both covered in blood. Even before the rape, he started beating me with a hammer."

The psychologist looked sadly at Alice. Her fists were clenched and her face was red with anger. Joseph looked as if he were about to vomit. She got up and placed a bucket near him, just in case. Sitting down again, she urged Alice, "Go on, go on. Continue to express yourself."

Alice turned sharply to her pale sibling. He still refused to look at her. "I hate you. I hate you so, so much. Do you have any idea how much pain you put me through? How much pain you put all of us through? Every day, Lucas blames himself for not seeing through your act. Every night, Mom cries because she doesn't know what went wrong. Dad and Daniel both want to strangle you. I want you to suffer, Joseph. I want you to suffer every bit of what you put the rest of us through. Honestly, every night, I pray for you to die a horrible death someday. It hurts to admit it, but you're just like grandfather. You're just as abnormal as he is. Everyone who knows about you is humiliated and ashamed of you. We're all wondering why you've turned out like this. It's a good thing Anya died before she was able to witness you lose your mind."

At the mention of Anya's name, Joseph doubled over and threw up into the pail. Ms. Finsen retrieved it, and helped Joseph into the bathroom. When they returned, Alice was finally able to see how her brother looked. He looked weak and frail, like he would just collapse at any moment. His hair seemed much thinner and his skin, much paler. There were dark circles beneath his troubled eyes.

After Ms Finsen took her seat again, she said, "This is the first time I'm hearing about this Anya. What's the connection, and what did your grandfather do?"

"Anya was our older sister. She died when I was seven and Joseph was eight. We all used to go to grandfather's house during vacations. Joseph loved it the most. Grandfather always used to tease him about how he was the most expressive one of us. When Anya and I would go out to play, he would always stay behind and talk with grandfather. One summer, grandfather took us all to his store-house. We all put on heavy coats and followed him out into the woods to go hunting. He was giving us tips on what to do in case we saw a deer, when suddenly; he reached behind him and grabbed Anya by the collar. He knocked her on the head with his shotgun, and he hit both Joseph and me with it too. Hard. I was going to run to grandfather to tell him to stop playing so rough when he shot at me. The only reason I missed the bullet was because Joseph had pushed me out of the way. Anya realized what was happening and begged grandfather to let us go. Instead, he shot her in the stomach. Right in front of us. She fell down, but held on to grandfather's pants and begged him to keep Joseph and I alive. He looked over at us, smirked, and shot her in the heart. He kicked Anya's dead body to the side and looked at us. I remember him telling us how lucky we were and telling me that I should run. I started to run away, but I looked back when he called Joseph. He went to him. I remember that Joseph was crying because he loved grandfather the most, he loved Anya, and that he'd just witnessed her death. I think grandfather must have spoken to him, and when they were done, somehow, Joseph got hold of the gun and killed grandfather. I've never seen Joseph cry since then up until a week ago. He didn't even cry at Anya's funeral."

Ms. Finsen looked worriedly over at Joseph who seemed to have just blocked out every word that his sister said. His slate eyes looked dead and empty. "Um, Joseph, what was your experience with your grandfather like on that day?"

* * *

 **Yup. Things should be winding down soon. Only about two or so chapters left. You know, I can't write long fics. Your reviews and PMs are always welcome. I might not reply right away though, but do not be discouraged! I want to know if the ending should be happy or bittersweet. I have no intention of turning this into a tragedy...then again, that idea's pretty good too. Anyways, please stay safe, and don't lose sight of the important things.**

 **Thought: "Tough times don't last, tough people do, remember?**

 **\- Gregory Peck**


	4. Betrayal

**MM. Another short one. Be glad. I should be studying for my two exams on Tuesday.**

* * *

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

CHAPTER FOUR

BETRAYAL

Joseph brought a hand up to his face and sighed.

"I was scared. I couldn't understand why grandfather did that to Anya. At first I felt betrayed by him, because he was the one I looked up to, but after a few years, I began to understand why he did what he did. When grandfather called me to him, he told me that he was getting very old, and all he wanted to do was show us how much he loved us. He didn't really mean to kill Anya; it was just his emotions that got the better of him. Grandfather said that when he hurts people, he's really expressing his love to them. He said that he wanted me to show how much I loved him by shooting him, and he told me that I should keep on showing Alice how much I love her. He said that I might get strange looks, and people might misunderstand me, but I shouldn't let that bother me. He told me that we were both different."

Alice's eyes widened in interest at the developing story. Ms. Finsen looked up from her notepad. She rose from her chair, opened the filing cabinet and skimmed over the files until she found the one she was looking for. She returned to her seat, opened it and read through it quickly.

"Here, Joseph, I have a file on Everard Gehabich, your grandfather I presume. It says here that he lived near the Hack Forest, near the outskirts of Yourke. He worked for a prosperous manufacturing company for 30 years until he retired."

Joseph nodded his head. "That's right."

"It also says that he was found dead in the forest, with two bullets to the chest."

Joseph flinched slightly. "Yes. That's where I shot him."

"Well, based on what your grandfather told you, I can only come to the conclusion that he wanted to ruin your family. The file says that he had absolutely no trace of mental illnesses, so that rules madness out. However, several reports were given during his tenure at that company that he was very manipulative and selfish. His co-workers said he would do anything to get his way. This leads me to my next question for you. Has your grandfather ever had any major disagreements with either of your parents?"

Joseph scratched his head. "I faintly remember Father not wanting us to go to Grandfather's one year because they had had some argument."

Alice looked at Dr. Finsen, picking up where she was going with the conversation. "Mother told me some weeks back about how Dad and his father had a quarrel some time back about Dad's choice of marriage partner. Grandfather wanted Dad to marry the daughter of a wealthy associate of his so they could have good business relationships, but Dad refused."

"Joseph, has it ever occurred to you that your grandfather just told you all of those things to get back at your father for not doing what he wanted. Revenge is the only possible explanation for him telling you such things at such a young age."

Joseph stared at the psychologist. She'd hit the nail right on the head. What she said made sense to him, but he just couldn't accept it. He ran his hands through his hair and began tugging on it, looking about ready to throw up again.

"That's not true... Grandfather wouldn't do something like that. He wouldn't use me just to get at his own son! H-he loved me... He loved Anya; he loved all of us, but he just had a different way of expressing himself. He was a good man, the best relative you could ever wish for. All I've been doing is living the way he taught me to live, but nobody appreciates it. None of you do, and none of you ever will. Grandfather wouldn't betray me like that..."

Slowly, Joseph lost his resolve.

After ranting about his trust and his love for his grandfather, he slumped in his chair. His skin was pale and cold as death itself. His eyes had drained themselves of all life, and when he looked up at Ms. Finsen, she truly felt as if he were looking straight through her. He was tired. He felt like a used piece of scrap paper, just being tossed around, trampled on and walked over, and aching to enter a bin.

"How are you feeling, Joseph?" Dr. Finsen asked.

The boy simply looked up at her weakly, then let his head fall onto his chest.

"Let's give him some time. Alice, when had your brother started showing sadistic traits?"

"When he was ten, mother had just started planting her own flower garden. She worked really hard on it for weeks, and finally, the flowers were beginning to bloom. One afternoon, we were coming home from a camping trip with Dad. Joseph went around to the garden to check on it and found the neighbour's dog digging up some of the flowers. Later on in the afternoon, I saw him dipping one of the rusty bear traps we got as souvenirs into alcohol and liquid rat poison. He set it outside with some bait and waited for the neighbour's dog to come again. The dog was lured by the scent and raced right into the trap. I was really scared when I saw it, but he was really excited. He ran up to the dog and started poking it with a stick. He even called me to look at it."

"I see. So, why didn't you tell your parents about what was going on? Especially in the last month?"

"I was worried that they wouldn't believe me and think I was a liar. I was also afraid that if they did believe me, they'd ship him off to boarding school. I had faith and hope that he'd change, and I honestly believed it was just a phase at one point." Alice looked over at her brother. He looked really feeble and she guessed that he wasn't willing to continue with the counselling session for that day. "Um, Ms. Finsen is it okay if we stop for the day? We'll come back regularly, but I don't think your efforts will be very fruitful if we keep going on."

The lady adjusted her glasses and smiled at Alice. "Okay dear. We'll stop for now. Since it's just about lunch time, you two should grab a bite to eat, then I want you to take Joseph to the nurse's office. Also ask your parents to let his caretaker stay with him for the next few days. Come straight here tomorrow morning, okay?" she rose from her desk and opened the door for them.

"Sure." Alice tapped Joseph on the shoulder. He rose from his chair and exited the room without a word. She stared at him in worry.

Joseph sat around the lunch table absently playing with his food. Lucas and Daniel both had scowls on their faces, but quickly wiped them off when they received a death glare from Alice. She had insisted that he sit with them, even though the others had given her confused looks.

Conversation around the table was strained. Joseph's presence just seemed to put a damper on everyone's spirit, and his behaviour did nothing to help ease the tension. He was resting his head on his hand and repeatedly spearing one of his muffins when Julie finally asked, "Um, Joseph, are you alright? You've just been sitting there, and you haven't even taken a bite or looked up from your plate since you came here."

Joseph's right eye twitched. He inhaled deeply, rose from the table, discarded his meal and made his way to the nurses' quarters.

"What's up with him?" Daniel snorted in disgust.

Runo shot him a death glare then asked, "How was your first counselling session? Made any progress?"

Alice put her fork down then stared at her lap. "We did."

"Then what's with the gloomy face?"

"Joseph was there. I've just learned something about him that's been affecting him for a long time, but I'm still struggling with my emotions. I don't know if I should keep hating him or start pitying him. I-I'm just confused."

Lucas rested his hand on hers and locked his grey eyes with her brown ones. "Do whatever you think is right," he said reassuringly.

Just then, the bell rang. All the other students in the room began rising from their seats and trashing leftovers. They were all chatting and laughing and enjoying their youth.

"Come on. Let's get to Literature class before Mr. Clay has a fit."

* * *

Joseph slowly cracked one of his eyes open. He was greeted with harsh white light. Instinctively, he shielded his face with his hands and sat up. After a few moments, he was able to open his eyes fully. A tubby lady with rosy cheeks and blonde hair dressed in a full white nurse's uniform placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "Joseph, it's time for you to go home. You've been out cold for over an hour."

He pushed himself off the chair and tried to gain a steady footing. With a stretch, he said, "Thanks Nurse Nishi."

He began to walk out of the room

"Make sure that you get enough rest this evening. Keep your asthma pump nearby at all times, and tomorrow morning go straight to Ms. Finsen's office."

"Sure."

Joseph exited the room and walked down the corridor. He didn't see the teenagers milling through the place. He barely noticed when he almost bumped into one of them. Joseph didn't see his former friends standing near the school's exit discussing something of great importance.

The young man walked home in a trance. As soon as he got inside he was greeted by his caretaker. He only spared the man a glance before ordering him to lock all the windows and draw all the curtains shut. Scared out of his wits, the caretaker sprang into action, locking the front door and doing all else that Joseph commanded him to.

Finally satisfied with the darkness and gloom, Joseph dismissed him, then made his way to his room. Confused, the caretaker crept into a storeroom until his young master was inside his room, then emerged again, determined to keep watch over him.

Joseph fumbled around in one of his drawers for a scalpel. Upon finding one, he sat in a corner, brandished the instrument and leaned his head against the wall.

 _She had to be lying right? Grandfather never would use me just to punish Dad for what he did. But, if that's the case, then I don't serve a purpose anymore. Grandfather would've achieved his goal. I've broken my family apart. Anya is dead. I almost killed Alice. My parents hate me. Alice hates me. My aunts and cousins are all afraid of me. My friends wish I had killed myself. I'm just a disgusting sore in everyone's life. If I end it all right here, everyone will be able to get on with their lives. They won't have to be afraid, or get hurt again._

Joseph pressed the scalpel down on his wrist, wincing in pain when the cut was made.

 _Nobody will have to be ashamed of me anymore._

He made another cut.

 _Nobody will have to bear any more regrets._

And another.

 _They can all live in peace._

And another.

He let the scalpel slip through his bloody fingers. He waited eagerly for his life to finally fade away completely.

Joseph was almost certain he was hallucinating when he saw Alice enter the room. He would have thought she really was if she didn't have such a realistic look of horror on her face. She ran up to him, her eyes filled with sorrow and pain.

Joseph pressed his body closer to the wall in a feeble attempt to avoid her. "St-stay away from me. Don't come any closer."

Ignoring him completely, Alice picked up a first aid kit he kept in his closet, kneeled down on the bloodstained floor and began to tend to his wounds. Too weak to resist, he kept silent straight throughout the procedure and only stared at her in confusion.

"Why? Why can't you just leave me be? You keep interfering."

Alice took one of his cold hands in hers.

"Why Alice? Why do you keep on going so far for me? You should hate me and fear me like everyone else does."

His voice cracked. He held his head down and allowed himself to break down completely for the first time in years. Alice pulled his body close to hers and cradled him in her arms. He clutched desperately at her blouse and poured out all of his bottled up, shrouded over feelings. Alice just held him and stroked his hair; feeling very troubled about what he had to endure for so long.

Later that night, Alice entered Joseph's room once more. He was lying down in a foetal position, the sheets partially covering his pyjamas. She crawled in beside him and cupped his cheek in her hand. He looked up at her, slate eyes sad and empty.

"I had no idea that Grandfather did that to you." She stroked his soft skin. He averted his eyes. "I know the damage has already been done, and that sadism has already become a part of your personality, but will you let us help you?"

He hesitated, but nodded slowly after.

"Is there anything you want me to do for you?"

Joseph frowned, then said timidly, "Yes. Please don't leave me alone. Stay with me, just for tonight."

Alice froze. She looked at his state, then finally scraping up a measure of trust, she covered herself with the sheets, shuffled over to him and hugged him. Joseph exhaled into her clothing and allowed himself to rest in her arms.

* * *

 **Mm. I pot roasted chicken for dinner. It was ~awesome~.**

 **Thought: "The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it."**

 **\- Arnold H. Glasow**

~Anne Callendar


	5. Finale

**Warning. Extremely long final chapter. Over 5k words.**

* * *

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

CHAPTER FIVE

FINALE

I don't own Bakugan or anything affiliated with it.

* * *

Joseph walked down the street with Alice at his side. They had just ended their second day of counselling, and Dr. Finsen was delighted that she was making progress with him. Before them loomed their large home, looking forlorn and melancholy, a stark contrast to the rest. Joseph unlocked the front door and switched on the lights. The house was empty because it was the caretaker's day off. "Thanks for the company Alice," Joseph said awkwardly.

He stared down at the floor. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. Waves of guilt washed over him.

After all of what had happened in just two days, Alice's hatred of Joseph started to diminish. She had resolved to forgive him for what he had done and put the past behind them. Scraping up some courage, she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She rummaged around in her bag for the medical supplies the nurse had given to her while ordering him to sit in the sofa near to the fireplace. He obeyed like a timid lamb, completely trusting its shepherd. Shortly, Alice sat beside him attended to his wound from the day before.

After a while of sitting in awkward silence, she decided to release some of _their_ tension by striking up conversation. It was awfully strained at first, however, she began talking more freely when she glanced at his face. On it was Joseph's long abandoned 'trademark smile' – the same smile that she had so long pined to see; the same smile that vanished just as Anya did.

She had barely gotten a chance to savour that moment before there were three sharp raps on the door. The smile instantly disappeared, and Alice stopped what she was doing and rose from the sofa. Joseph followed suit. The door was flung open revealing a man, red in the face, golden brown hair lying flat on his head. His lips curled in disgust. He marched straight up to the two, yanked Alice behind him and pushed her out the door.

"Get into the car," he mumbled darkly before locking it behind her. Before she could respond, Alice found herself with locked wooden doors behind her, and a vehicle ready and waiting for her to get in.

Inside, Mr. Gehabich brandished a polished wooden cane and advanced on his son. Joseph's slate eyes widened in fear and disbelief.

"Joseph, I thought the message was clear. You're a smart boy, I would have thought you'd understand that we don't want you near her anymore." He backed him into a corner and held the cane up in the air, preparing to make contact.

"You know Joseph, your mother and I _loved_ you. Alice did too. Everyone thought that you were growing into a fine young man." He hit him. Joseph screamed in pain. "Nobody would have guessed that our little Joe was a deceptive snake. You manipulated us. You twisted us around your little finger for how long, I don't know. You've treated your sister like a dog and scarred her for life." All this time, Joseph's father hit him with the cane again and again and again.

In between blows he shouted, "Demon!" "Leviathan!" "Serpent!"

Alice curled up on the back seat of the car. She covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut in a vain attempt to block out the sounds of abuse filtering outside. Every time she heard her brother shriek or her father cast out an unpleasant name, she felt as if nails were being driven through her heart. _If I had just gone straight home today, this wouldn't have happened. It's all my fault. This just makes everything worse._

After what felt like an eternity, Mr. Gehabich returned to the car, sweating and flushed, and sped 'home'.

Inside, Joseph remained huddled up in his little corner. He cradled his bruised body in his arms and cried hysterically. He knew he had done wrong, but he didn't expect his own father to finally turn on him. He didn't expect that he would crush his hope.

The distressed youth's sobs echoed throughout the large empty house. They had left him alone. His parents, friends, sister – all of them had turned their backs on him when he most needed them. He'd been suffering for years, and when the root of his problems issued, everyone was too disgusted to help him. He felt like a dying mouse – he was so small and insignificant in comparison to the huge building he was left in, and nobody cared enough to encourage him or heal his wounds – everyone wanted him gone.

For over half an hour, the broken lad sobbed until his eyes ran dry and his throat was sore. Eventually he rose from his resting place and limped to the kitchen. He eyed the sharp knives with longing. He wanted to end his pain, but he hadn't the courage anymore. If he had known that this is how things were going to turn out then he would have ignored Alice and thrust the scalpel deep into a vital spot.

On his way to his room, his knees buckled and he fell. Unable to resist any longer, Joseph succumbed to the pain and allowed himself to drift into unconsciousness.

* * *

He tried to move his arms, but nothing happened. He did the same with his legs but got no response. His body refused to respond to his will, well, everywhere except for his eyes. Slate orbs stared blankly at Mr. Mills, the caretaker. The man nearly fainted when he saw his masters' _'delinquent'_ child collapsed on the floor, but he managed to carry him to his room as carefully as one would carry a broken china doll.

"How do you feel, sir?" he queried in a very slight Russian accent.

Joseph only averted his gaze in reply.

Hesitantly, Mr. Mills began, "W-well if you need anything, just call for me. I'll be in the rooms across cleaning up."

At hearing 'rooms across' Joseph's face became deathly pale, as he had remembered his immoral acts inside one of them. Luckily for him, Mr. Mills had already left. Once more, guilt consumed him and held him captive.

He squeezed his eyes shut, wishing the memory away, but like a persistent mosquito it remained. He remained there, silent, deathly still having no choice but to allow his guilt-stricken mind to review his sins…

* * *

Alice clasped her hands firmly, staring down at the food on her tray. She was in absolutely no mood to eat. She couldn't get the look of burning hatred on her father's face out of her mind. Neither could she forget the agonized cries of her sibling. It had been a full week since that incident. The poor girl was torn in two – she really did not hate Joseph, and naturally she wanted to see him especially since she had learned how delicate he was, but on the other hand, her father had given her strict orders to refrain from coming into contact with them. In addition to that, she was the only one on Joseph's side. Everyone she knew had turned against him.

Aggravated and confused, Alice pushed her tray away from her and threw her head onto the lunch table. Runo, Julie, Lucas and Dan looked at her worriedly. Lucas scooted over to her and placed an arm around her waist. With his other arm he pried her head away from the table and forced her to lean on him.

Alice covered her face with one hand. She knew that Lucas was looking at her – she could feel his stare. She knew that he would force her to talk one way or the other, and she knew that he knew that she was suppressing her tears – something he didn't like.

Despite her great effort, the warm liquid began streaming down her cheeks. Her face and neck reddened and goose bumps crept onto her arms.

Lucas stood up and led her outside of the lunchroom to the nearby garden. He sat her down underneath a shady Autumn Blaze Maple tree that was set back a bit from the entrance and which was offered a bit more privacy by a wall of Cypress trees.

He took a seat beside her and turned his head in the opposite direction.

All along Alice was trying desperately to smother her tears, but she only succeeded in becoming more miserable. Giving up, she buried her head in the young man's chest and wept loudly.

Lucas smiled a bit. Deciding not to be too harsh on her, he placed a hand on her back, hoping that she would understand why he was holding back on freely offering his comfort. Much to his surprise, a few seconds after he put his hand on her back, Alice desperately clutched his other hand and brought it close to her chest, allowing her tears to drip on it.

Finally giving in, Lucas leaned against the tree and pulled Alice close to him, letting her lie on him. He gently kissed her forehead and reassured her like he usually did.

After her crying spell, Alice said in a raspy voice, "I don't know what to do."

Lucas wiped her eyes and patted her on the head. "What happened between you two? He hasn't been to school in a while."

Alice told him about what happened during the counselling sessions and that evening she had foolishly followed him home. "Despite what he's done to me, I can't help thinking that he's the real victim here. I want to help him, but I don't know how." She pressed her hands onto her cheeks.

Lucas smiled softly down at her, "I know that this might not be the time for it, but I really admire you. The mere fact that you can even consider helping out the same person who's destroyed your life is amazing. Personally, I still kind of hate him for doing those things to you, but I'll help because you care about him."

Alice stared at him for a few seconds.

"It will be hard for us to forgive him, but if that is what you really want, then we'll try. He was our friend at one point, after all."

She sniffled a bit before hugging him tighter. "Thank you."

He kissed her forehead. "We can go today if you want, you know, so we can set things straight. The others and I, Ms. Finsen and your parents."

Looking up at him once more, she nodded vigorously.

* * *

That afternoon, after school, Alice stood at the school's gate. Twenty minutes had passed since the time she had arranged to meet up with her friends. Uncomfortable, she shifted her weight from one foot to the next and quickly checked her watch.

 _They probably blew me off. Lucas was just telling me things to make me feel better. I should have known that they don't want to have anything to do with him._

She was just about to leave when someone shouted her name. Four teens dashed out of the empty building and stumbled to her side. "Sorry for being so late. It was pretty hard convincing Dan to come." Lucas scratched his head sheepishly.

Alice sighed in relief. "I thought you guys had ditched me."

Julie's eyes widened in disbelief. "Ditch our best friend!? Alice, I thought you knew us better than that, she pouted.

Runo punched Dan on the shoulder. "Idiot, this is all your fault! Why do you have to be so difficult?!"

"Me? Difficult? Well excuse me for hating the guy!" Steam poured out of his ears.

Lucas' eyes twitched. He desperately tried to block out the bickering, but when he could take no more, he buried a hand each in their hair and slammed their heads together.

The brunette and blue-head rubbed their heads and winced in pain.

Lucas cracked his knuckles then faced his girl. "Let's go. Your parents and Ms. Finsen are already on the way."

Alice nodded then started home.

Some time later, the small group stood on the covered patio of the siblings' large, double storey home. Alice hesitantly pressed the doorbell, half expecting her brother to answer by screaming obscenities at her and spitting in her face. After all, she did cause her father to go all ballistic on him.

When there was no answer, she felt like spinning around and leaving, but Lucas entwined his fingers with hers and rang it again. In a few seconds, the caretaker cautiously cracked the door open. His eyes lit up upon seeing Alice.

"Young Miss! How glad I am to see that you're okay." The short man hugged her tightly then nodded hello to the others.

"Come in, please. The young Sir isn't doing well, I'm afraid." He wrung his hands nervously. "Come with me please, all of you. I think that he will feel much better if you speak to him."

Dan folded his arms and pouted. "What makes you think he will?"

Mr. Mills started up the staircase. "I see it in his eyes. He regrets what he's done. Guilt is eating him from the inside."

Dan glanced at Alice and his expression softened when he saw the despair in her eyes. Clearing his throat, he wordlessly grabbed Runo's hand and pulled her up the stairs after the caretaker.

Alice followed with Lucas and Julie in tow.

When they entered Joseph's room, he was already kneeling beside the bed. "Joseph, Joseph? Wake up please young master. Your friends are here to see you."

The boy stirred slightly then cracked his eyes open. He had covered his bruises and welts with a n oversized T-shirt and baggy pants in addition to the thick quilt which he had draped over himself. Mr. Mills helped him sit up and propped up a pillow behind him for support.

Julie bit back a gasp. His skin was so much paler than when she had last seen him. Group that with the dull hair and purple bags beneath his dead eyes, then of course she felt sorry for him.

Joseph's eyes scanned the small group. When they rested on Alice, they filled with genuine concern.

"Are you okay? What are you doing here? If father finds out you're here again, he'll get mad at you..."

Alice kneeled down beside him. "It's okay. He knows we're here."

Joseph bent his head. His voice cracked. "Why are you all here? I thought you hated me," he whispered.

"We do. Well, at least I do, but Alice wanted everyone to straighten things out so we can move on." Dan watched intently as his former friend flinched at his words.

"I-I see." He wrapped his hands in the quilt and quietly asked Mr. Mills to get seats for them.

When all her friends were seated, Alice sat on the bed beside him and lifted the quilt.

"What did he do to you?"

No answer came. She wrapped a hand around his arm and gave it a good squeeze. Joseph screamed in pain and the others left the two alone. Alice removed his shirt and pursed her lips when she saw the damage done. He was about to respond when he heard Lucas greeting his parents and the guidance counsellor downstairs.

She hastily helped him dress and pulled the quilt over him. Just as she stood up, Mr. and Mrs. Gehabich as well as Ms. Finsen walked inside. The latter woman flashed the two a kindly smile.

Mrs. Gehabich couldn't even bring herself to look in her son's direction. Mr. Gehabich, however, gave him a reprimanding, disgusted look. Runo's heart shifted when she saw how Lucas shrank beneath his father's glare.

He stared at the quilt, unwilling to meet anyone's gaze.

Alice greeted the visitors, kissing each of them on the cheek. After they were all seated comfortably, Ms. Finsen began,"Alright, so we're here today to clear up all the misunderstandings and misdeeds that we've done to each other. Now that all the formalities are out of the way, who would like to start?"

Dan, Runo, Mrs. Gehabich and Mr. Gehabich all stared at Joseph, since he seemed to be the only wrongdoer in the room.

Feeling their glares, he began.

"Ah...so...Everyone knows about what's been going on for the past month between me and Alice. I understand now that I was doing the wrong thing." Turning his attention to Alice, he said, "I-I feel terrible about what I've done. It was never my intention to hurt you, I've only ever loved you." His voice cracked, and he bowed his head, but forced the words out of his mouth, refusing to even mention his grandfather. "I'm not asking your forgiveness, and frankly, I don't deserve it, but, I'm just so sorry." In near hysteria, he continued, " I don't know what I was thinking. I know apologizing can't erase anything I've done, but I can't bring myself not to."

He began wheezing and buried his head in his trembling hands. After a few sprays from his asthma pump, his breathing evened out. Dan tried his best to keep indifferent, and Lucas stared wordlessly at the floor. Alice kept her mouth shut. She had already known that he regretted what he had done.

"Mr. Gehabich, I believe that it would be appropriate for you to address your _son_ , now that he's calmed down a bit." Ms. Finsen narrowed her eyes at the man.

Said man sized up his son and scoffed. He sat back in his seat and eyed him with disgust.

"I've always hated you. From you were a toddler, I despised you."

Joseph flinched slightly at his words, and with a sad smile replied, "I know."

"You gave your mother such a hard time during her pregnancy and your birth. It might seem immature, but because of that I became biased towards you. When you were a toddler, I became so disappointed and disgusted with you. You had _his_ eyes, you acted like _him_ , and to make it worse, you loved _him_. The more we took you to his house, the more manipulative you'd become, and I couldn't stop taking you because he was the only one that could make you happy. Even now I can't stand the sight of you because you remind me of Father in every way. If I got the opportunity, I would have gladly killed you both a long time ago."

Joseph's breath hitched in his throat. He knew that his father wasn't lying. When he had attacked him, he could feel the hatred rolling off of him in waves and the killing intent was visible in his eyes.

"I've had to hide it from Alice over the years, so I couldn't treat you as harshly as I'd wanted to. I'm actually impressed that you caught on early and kept up the father-son act for her sake." Alice stared in horror at the man she called her father. Slowly, she was starting to see him for the monster he really was.

Joseph closed his eyes and bit down on his lip, trying to ignore the pain that accompanied his father's words.

"I've just had to be satisfied that you allowed him to use you. You're so desperate that you let him manipulate you. I think I get the most satisfaction from knowing that you've had to live under the guilt of murdering your own granddaddy. Who knew? My son's a murderer." Mr. Gehabich let out a harsh laugh.

Alice's face grew red. Her fists shook with anger.

"Shut up," she murmured. Springing to her feet she shouted," All this time you had me fooled. You're a monster. How could you talk about your own son like that?! Is it his fault that he looks like your dad, or that they have similar character traits?! I understand why he loved grandfather so much. Looking back, he was the only one who ever expressed any genuine care towards Joseph, even though he ended up using him in the end. I can't believe you. I'd trusted you and mom for so long, and played the fool for you guys too." Her skin was hot, and angry tears streamed down her cheeks.

Her friends stared at their former friend whose face was buried in his palms. The tips of his ears were red, and his hands trembled. Alice was about to launch off again, but he cut her off.

"Ever since I was little I'd try to please you. For nights I'd stay up, trying to figure out what I'd done to make you hate me so much, trying to plan schemes I could use to make it up to you, but nothing would work. When Anya died, I tried even harder. At the funeral, I tried to force tears because I knew that would at least make you soften up to me, but my tears had all dried up. Even recently, I've still had the small hope that you'd start liking me. Father, even though you hate me, I can never find it within myself to hate you. I've tried my hardest to gain your favour because I love you. I love all of my family and friends to death, and I've been living my life to please others."

Dan stared at the floor guiltily.

"Completely unfazed by what his son had just said, Mr. Gehabich remained intent on destroying his son. He had his trump card.

"Speaking of which, I need to show you something." He clapped his hands and slowly the door creaked open.

A young woman with auburn streaked brown hair timidly stepped in. She rubbed her hands against her smooth, milky arms and greeted in a honey sweet voice, "Good evening."

Joseph leaned forward. His mouth fell slightly ajar, and he rubbed his eyes a few times. Alice's knees turned to pudding and she fainted on the bed.

"You're not real...a ghost...just an apparition." He turned his head away and nodded to himself weakly.

The lady began walking closer to him. "No Joe, I'm not a ghost."

He shook his head. "You lie...everyone here has been lying, so you can't be any different...you're not real..."

She kneeled at his side and cupped his cheek with her hand.

Joseph forced himself to look into her face. Finally, the tears came. "It can't be...You should be dead...Anya is dead...Grandfather shot her."

He clutched at her desperately. "I saw the blood...we checked her pulse...so why is she standing in front of me?"

Anya sat on the bed and pulled him into her arms. He buried his head in her chest and wept. Ms. Finsen hesitantly looked at Mr. Gehabich who still had that evil smirk on. She had been out of the picture for a while and had begun contemplating whether she should just let things play out, or if she should interfere. She decided on the former.

Guilt practically ate at the four friends from the inside. Even Lucas couldn't have predicted the huge rift in the family. None of them could bring themselves to look at any of the siblings, much less their parents. Mr. Mills had dropped his hat and nearly collapsed at seeing the eldest sibling enter.

Suddenly the crying stopped. Ignoring the pain tearing at his chest and the way his lungs screamed for air, Joseph caught himself. He removed himself from his sister's hold and eyed her darkly.

"Where were you all this time? Why choose to come now?" he whispered, resentment lacing his voice.

Anya turned her gaze to her father. Joseph followed her line of vision and grit his teeth when he saw the smirk on his father's face. Ms. Finsen rose from her seat and ushered everyone out of the room except for Joseph and his father. "I think Joseph will express himself more comfortably when he's with his father." She smiled at Anya who rose from the bed and stepped out with them.

* * *

"What is wrong with you? Why would you keep something like this a secret?!"

"Do I really need to answer a stupid question like that?" Mr. Gehabich sneered.

Joseph twisted the quilt in frustration. "Not from me! I don't care about what you want to put me through. Why would you hurt Alice like that? You know how much she missed her, yet still, you kept quiet." He spat out the words in anger for his sister.

The smirk instantly fell from Mr. Gehabich's face. "There you go again. Not thinking about yourself. That's just something that _he_ would do. Did I not mention how annoyed I get when you act like him." The man sprang up from his seat and strode towards his son.

Climbing over him, he kneeled down on his bruised thighs. Joseph bit back a scream as he tried to get him off.

Kristoff slapped his son on the cheek with a heavy hand. The young man winced in pain but refused to scream, knowing that his father would feel accomplished if he did.

Kristoff slid his hands around Joseph's throat and squeezed tight. Joseph clawed at his father's hands as his already waning strength dwindled away. Mr. Gehabich leaned in closer and kissed him on the forehead. "Did I not make it clear that if I got the chance, I would kill you?" he whispered.

Everything around him began to go dark. His lungs and heart felt about ready to rip out of his chest. The burning pain increased for a bit before he started to lose all feeling, first in his legs, then midsection then arms, and eventually all he could feel before slipping into unconsciousness was throbbing pain.

Outside, the others heard the sound of shattering glass, then a heavy thud. Lucas and Dan were the first to burst through the doorway and their hearts flipped at what they saw - Alice stood, panting heavily beside Mr. Gehabich who had collapsed, lying in his own blood and shards of glass. Alice clutched a lampshade close to her while staring at the man. Worst of all though, Joseph lay limp, the tips of his fingers and lips blue and a large, ugly bruise on his neck.

Ms. Finsen cursed herself for her stupidity while hastily calling an ambulance. Alice dropped the lampshade in a daze and sank to the floor while her friends and siblings rushed inside. Completely ignoring his employer, Mr. Mills checked Joseph's pulse and hastily carried him downstairs to make it easier for the nurses when they arrived. Mrs. Gehabich was nowhere to be found.

Lucas kneeled at Alice's side and pulled her into a hug. "I'm tired," she whispered weakly.

* * *

Joseph cracked an eye open. He winced at the harshness of the light. He lifted an arm to shield them from it, but ended up hurting himself in the process. Ignoring the pain, he sat up, recognizing the familiar layout of a hospital room. He saw his friends and sisters siting around him.

"Why? Why am I here? I'm supposed to be dead." He shut his eyes from the worried looks and buried his head in his hands."You keep interfering," he whispered softly.

"Sorry. I can't help it," Alice answered dejectedly, knowing that he directed his statement to her.

"Oi. Smile for a bit. Try to feel happy." Anya removed his hands from his face. "It's okay to cry in front of your friends too."

"You should try being a bit selfish sometimes ya know...It'll work out." Daniel smirked at his old friend.

Joseph reached for Anya's hand and she entwined her fingers with his.

"I'm sorry," she began. "Father did all in his power to ensure that I stayed away from you two. I'm sorry that I played right into his hands."

Joseph couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes.

"You haven't been happy these past years, haven't you? You've only been used and lied to and cheated from birth. You knew that grandfather was using you, but you were so desperate for love that you let him. You've disillusioned and brainwashed yourself into living out his dream. Am I right?"

Joseph bit down on his lip.

"Joe, you can trust us. I know it will be hard, and I know your friendships will be hard to rebuild, but we won't hurt you. We won't use you, or lie to you. Just give us a chance." Her voice cracked.

"Um...we have our apologies to make too. In all truth, we haven't been the greatest friends, and we haven't really been supportive. We were so suckish that we couldn't even pick up that something was wrong with you, but we want to start over...I understand if you don't want to have anything to do with us, but, it's worth your consideration, isn't it?" Julie looked at the blonde boy with an encouraging smile.

Lucas and Runo kept quiet.

Daniel cleared his throat. "Joseph, I'm sorry for all of those harsh things that I said to and about you. I had no idea-"

"Please, just stop." Joseph held a hand up in the air. Everyone held their breath. "I don't deserve all of these apologies, really. They don't erase my sins. And I know I don't have the right to be selfish, but, I really want to start over. I might sound like a kid by saying this, but I really want us to be like a family."

A Cheshire grin spread over Daniel's face and everyone hastily answered the affirmative.

* * *

EPILOGUE

Anya kneeled in front of her siblings and couldn't stop fawning over them. "Joe, you've grown so much!" she squealed. "Your hair's gotten darker, but your eyes are still beautiful. Slate's my favourite colour you know." She winked at him. "Do you remember when we were little and I'd always kiss you and help you get dressed. You were so cute! And the best part is, you still are!" A devious smile spread across her face as Joseph turned his head away, hiding a blush. "Aww. That makes you look even cuter!"

"Pshk. What are you talking about?" he coughed in embarrassment.

Joining in the fun, Julie said," Eh? When he blushes, he really does look super-cute! We've never really complemented him on his good looks before Ann-chan."

Alice chuckled, only making Anya turn her attention to her.

"Eh?! Ally's grown too! You've grown out your hair and, my gosh! J-Julie, look!" Anya pointed at Alice's chest. Julie laughed hysterically, rolling on the picnic blanket. "You're almost my size! And that's **_big_**. Your face is so pretty too, and your skin is smooth, not to mention your extremely kissable lips. You've got to have a boyfriend."

"What are you talking about?!" Alice echoed her brother hesitantly.

"I mean, with all these assets, not having one would be a waste. Am I right?" she turned around to get Lucas to join in, but froze when she saw the intense blush on his cheeks and the way he was plucking at grass and avoiding her eyes. "Wait a minute...Ally! You're way ahead of me! Lulu's your boyfriend! Don't tell me you've skipped to second base already, or is it third yet..."

Alice sprang up and stuffed Anya's mouth with food, heat rising to her face. Now, even Lucas' ears were red and he began coughing uncontrollably.

Luckily for them, Daniel began choking on a piece of flatbread. He held his throat in agony as Runo fed him some water and rubbed his back. As soon as he felt relief, she smacked him up the side of his head and he cowered. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO CHEW YOUR FOOD PROPERLY YOU PIG?!" Daniel whimpered as he snuck a doughnut from a container. Runo's elbow collided with his jaw as soon as he was about to swallow and he started choking again.

She scoffed and just got up and walked off, leaving him to suffer. Lucas rolled his eyes and Alice and Julie snickered. Anya just looked on with that 'older sister' smile on her face.

Joseph laughed.

Runo was too far away to hear the soft sound. Everyone else (with the exception of Dan who began choking harder) paused. A wide smile grew on Alice's face and she crawled over to him in ecstasy. Joseph stopped laughing when he saw that all eyes were on him and stared at everyone with a smile on. "What's the matter?"

"You've finally laughed," Lucas said simply. "Come to think of it, this is the first time I've ever heard you laugh because you're happy."

Joseph placed a finger contemplatively on his chin. He had healed nicely and his skin and hair were looking better than ever. He rested his bright slate eyes on his best friend.

"Eh? I suppose so. I guess I really am happy."

 **~FIN~**

* * *

 **This is the end, and officially, the longest chapter I've ever written. I don't think I'll ever write a chapter this long again. Oh, and I decided on my own to make this fic one with a happy ending. Sheesh...It's kind of cheesy, but it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. A few happy endings are good every once in a while.**

 **Thought:**

 **"Laughter is wine for the soul - laughter soft, or loud and deep, tinged through with seriousness - the hilarious declaration made by man that life is worth living."**

 **Seán O'Casey**

 **~ Anne Callendar**


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